Ohio State’s foundry moves to CDME

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Students gathered around table in former foundry location

With the demolition of the conjoined MacQuigg and Watts Halls looming, The Ohio State University’s foundry was packed up and moved to the Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence (CDME) on west campus.

Metal casting complements CDME’s manufacturing and engineering portfolio, which includes a robotics and automation lab, an additive manufacturing lab, an electronics assembly lab, a testing lab, a machine shop and a medical modeling lab. CDME began preparations for the incoming foundry in July 2021 and set up was finalized for a visit from the Foundry Educational Foundation (FEF) for certification this spring.

Similar to other educational foundries, Ohio State’s must be evaluated by the Foundry Educational Foundation for certification. An FEF certified school receives direct funding from FEF; professors are allocated a specific amount each school year for scholarships and discretionary spending. Dr. Alan Luo is the FEF Key Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Department of Integrated Systems Engineering. He has managed the foundry at Ohio State since 2013. 

Ohio is home to more foundries than any other state, totaling 200 operational foundries to date. These facilities process molten metal into a solid that is characteristic of its host shape. They produce components found in nearly 90% of all goods manufactured in the United States.

Ohio State’s foundry resided in MacQuigg Laboratory since 1968. Both programs within the Department of Materials Science and Engineering – materials science and engineering (MSE) and welding engineering (WE) – utilize the foundry for hands-on metal casting and tier one research projects conducted by graduate students and staff researchers.

MacQuigg and Watts Halls are scheduled to be razed this summer and replaced by the second phase of the Biomedical and Materials Engineering Complex, which is expected to open in 2025.

Ohio State’s foundry was officially certified by FEF in May and will be eligible for re-certification in 2025. 

Edited version of article on the Department of Materials Science and Engineering website.

Category: Research